Bonds Across Time
by driftingstar
Summary: Paradox's grand experiment was not without consequences. (Alternatively: Yusei and Judai's misadventures on a time traveling motorcycle.) Pre-slash. Slowly progressing Starshipping. Post-BBT.
1. The Time of the Pharaohs

**Bonds Across Time **

**Summary**: Paradox's grand experiment was not without consequences. (Alternatively: Yusei and Judai's misadventures on a time traveling motorcycle.) Pre-slash. Slowly progressing Starshipping.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

* * *

Something was wrong. The Crimson Dragon roared in fury as they barrelled through the void, struggling against an unseen force. The red fire blazed hotter around them as the manifestation of the dragon star tried to propel them onwards, stretching the fabric of time and space to its limits. Clinging to the surface of the D-Wheel by the force of will alone, Yusei and Judai braved the chaotic maelstrom, relying only on the god's rapidly depleting aura to shield them as metaphysical winds tore at them from all sides.

The force eventually proved to be too much. From here on, the details became fuzzy. The duellists would later recall slamming into a barrier of searing light and watching in horror as the Crimson Dragon dissolved into shining ribbons as they fell, screaming into white nothingness.

* * *

Judai groaned as he slowly came back to life, shivering. His body ached like it had gone sightseeing in a blender while he had been unconscious.

_Yubel?_ _What's going on?_

…

… _Yubel?_

_Yubel!_

Frantically, he reached out for the other half of his soul and was relieved when he sensed her steadying presence sleeping in the back of his mind.

_That's right. Yubel must still be tired from protecting me. Wait…!_

His eyes snapped open as he shot up, only to double over as his muscles screamed in protest. Something that had been draped across his chest slid into his lap with a soft thump. He stared at it blankly for a moment, fingering the rough material. It was dark blue with orange accents and smelled faintly of motor oil.

Something bright had been flickering at the edge of his vision. He followed it and saw a dark haired boy in a sleeveless black shirt half-facing away from him and stoking a fire. Beside him, looking rather battered was a motorcycle which was only half-assembled, several pieces scattered around. An open toolkit had been carefully laid next to it.

"Yusei…" he croaked past the dryness in his throat.

"Judai-san!" Finally realizing that he had finally awakened, Yusei immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over, helping him sit up fully. Without prompting, he handed him a thermos which he took without hesitation. The water was lukewarm and slightly sandy but he gulped it down greedily. After finishing half of it, he turned to regard his new companion more closely.

Yusei was staring at him with undisguised relief, the tense lines in his shoulders relaxing. He also looked like he hadn't slept in days. Dark circles lined his blue eyes, giving them a slightly hollow look. He was covered in dust and looked as if he had half a sandbox dumped over his head. Noting the grittiness in his own mouth, Judai realized that he probably didn't look much better himself.

Judai favoured the other duelist with a shaky but sincere smile. "Sorry for making you look after me," he said sheepishly. He picked the crumpled jacket off of his lap and handed it back. "Was I out long?"

After ascertaining that brown-haired boy wasn't about to collapse again, Yusei draped his jacket back over his shoulders, unable to hold back a slight shiver. He averted his eyes. "You were asleep for two days."

"Two days?!" Judai exclaimed, suddenly much more awake. Yusei's ragged appearance made a lot more sense. "Oh crap, now I'm really sorry! No wonder you look so beat up," he said before realizing that it came out somewhat tactless.

If he took any offence at all, he didn't show it. "It's fine. I'm just glad you're awake."

He cast his gaze around to examine their surroundings. Yusei had tucked them behind a tall jagged rock formation which made an admirable attempt at blocking out the wind. Beyond the wall of rocks, Judai could see nothing be long stretches of sand which was sparsely decorated with thin, thorny plants.

"By the way, where are we?"

"I sent out a distress signal through my D-Wheel, but my communications aren't getting through. In the best case, it might be because this area doesn't have any reception." Despite the hopeful words, Yusei's pessimistic expression revealed that he personally did not take any stock in this theory.

"And in the worst case?" asked Judai.

"We were borrowing the power of the Crimson Dragon to go back to your time. But something interfered and the Crimson Dragon drained its energies to shield us. There's no telling where… or _when_ we ended up."

Judai hummed thoughtfully for a moment, staring up at the sky. He brightened up. "It might not be as bad as you think," he said, clapping a friendly hand on the other boy's shoulder. "On the bright side, I'm pretty sure we're still on Earth."

"How can you tell?" asked Yusei.

Judai chuckled and pointed directly upwards. The black-haired duelist followed the path traced by his finger.

"The stars?"

"Yup!" Judai grinned, triumphantly popping the 'p'. "I recognize the constellations. Not enough to tell you where we are, exactly, though."

"That's impressive," said Yusei almost wistfully. "You can't see stars from Neo Domino City because of the light pollution. Not from Satellite either."

"Is that where you're from, Yusei?" Judai asked, sitting with his elbows propped up by his knees. "I've been meaning to ask: what's the future like?"

Yusei hesitated slightly. "That's not really something I can describe in a few words. My life in the future… it isn't perfect… or even pleasant sometimes. But I always had friends I could rely on."

Sensing the other boy's reluctance, Judai hurriedly backtracked. "Ah! It's fine if you don't want to talk about it. I probably shouldn't be spoiling myself anyway," he said with a cheerful wink. "I believe that the future is what we make ourselves by living to the fullest in the present! Or something like that. Man, I guess that must be pretty weird for you, since my future is technically your past."

Yusei gifted him with a rare smile. "If it helps, I believe that too, Judai-san."

"So! What's the plan?" Judai asked, slightly rocking in enthusiasm, not seeming at all put off by being potentially stranded in the middle of an unknown desert with dwindling food and water supplies.

Yusei pushed back his sleeve and stared at the faded mark on his forearm in resignation. "The Crimson Dragon used up a colossal amount of energy to take us to the past to fight Paradox. I'm sorry. It looks like it may take a while before we can get back to your time."

"Don't be worry about it, Yusei. Of course, I'd like to get back as soon as possible and make sure that Johan and the others are OK. But with the Crimson Dragon, it'll be like we have a TARDIS!"

"A… Tardis?"

"It's a kind of a small big blue boxy time machine spaceship thing and… uh, never mind. In any case, I'm sure we could even get back five minutes _before_ we left!"

Yusei nodded slowly, despite not understanding a single word, mentally cataloguing it as another piece of history that had been lost during the Zero Reverse disaster. "Thank you for your understanding. For now, I believe we should start with find a water source. Our provisions will likely last us only a few days. We can figure out where we are afterwards."

"Good idea. Maybe it'll lead us to civilization too. If we're lucky, we've only just been knocked a few countries over from Duel Academia."

Now that Judai was awake and no longer in danger of falling into a coma, the two finally took stock of their inventory. Yusei had a small emergency travel kit stashed away in his D-Wheel from his trip to Crash Town. It was thanks to it that he was able to keep them hydrated during the last two days. He had been ill prepared for his sudden trip through time. Judai on the other hand had packed for a long trip, although he hadn't expected his journey to take him so far from society or for him to pick up an extra travelling buddy. His rugsack contained a couple changes of clothes, dry rations, and two litres of water. It also contained a pudgy orange cat which meowed disdainfully at the Slifer duelist as it was emptied from the bag. It stalked over by the fire and curled up, intent on returning to its nap.

The two duellists decided to travel at night to avoid suffocating in the desert heat, once Yusei completed his D-Wheel's repairs. The motorcycle had been badly damaged upon their arrival which the Satellite duelist had forgone sleep to work on. Although their water was running out, Judai insisted on remaining at their shelter for an extra day, fearing the bags under the older (?) boy's eyes. Ignoring his protests, Judai forcibly tucked him in a spare blanket and set him up by the fire next to the dozing cat, ordering him in no uncertain terms to sleep.

Eventually exhaustion won out and Yusei drifted off. Judai watched his taut features and noted that they remained tense even in sleep. He laughed quietly so not to wake him, thinking to himself that this boy from the future had to be the most serious person he knew, even more so than Kaiser or Misawa.

_Yubel? _He tried calling again. To his delight, this time he could feel her stirring in the back of his mind.

_Judai_… His duel spirit partner greeted, drowsy but warm. _You're safe_.

"Thanks to you, Yubel. And to Yusei too." Judai turned serious. "What happened? Yusei said something interfered with the Crimson Dragon. Could that be why the two of us were drained so much?"

_Judai, I'm sorry. There's something out there, weakening my powers even now. I'm afraid I will need time to recover. Take care of yourself until then… _Yubel's voice became more distant until it faded away entirely.

Judai sat back against the rock and gazed up at the sky, feeling rather overwhelmed. He had thought that after his misadventures in the Dimension World, he would never be surprised again. And here he was, out of time, next to a man who would not be born for years.

"Life works in mysterious ways, I guess. Good night, Yubel, Yusei," he said, before closing his eyes to join them in slumber.

* * *

Yusei stood alone in a brightly lit hallway whose empty corridors seemed to stretch on forever. He cast his gaze around, trying to make out his surroundings but the details faded into the light. He stumbled as a man suddenly brushed past him, knocking him aside. Startled, Yusei spun around, only glimpsing a flash of familiar dark spikes of hair, fanning out from over the wide collar of a long white coat.

_Father_? Yusei tried to call out to the slowly retreating figure, but the words remained trapped in this throat. He started after him. Without realizing it, Yusei had broken into a run but despite the figure's slow, purposeful walk, he was only getting further and further away until he disappeared entirely.

_Father, wait!_

The scene abruptly changed around him. Now, he was high above the shining lights of a vast metropolis. Then came an ominous rumble and with sudden clarity, Yusei knew where he was.

He screamed in horror and denial as the column of spiralling energy tore through the heavens, ripping apart the sky and stars. Below, men and women screamed as its poisonous light stripped flesh and life from bone.

In the center of it all was the dark haired man, laughing with his arms spread wide.

* * *

Yusei plunged into icy wakefulness, gasping for air. Forcing down the last the fragments of his nightmare, he sat up with a sigh and rested his forehead against his palms. His return to reality was accompanied by a sharp pain in his temples, which he attempted to massage away without success. Judging by the path traced by the pale moon, Yusei had scarcely slept more than a couple of hours. Several feet away, on the other side of the slowly dying embers, the Judai slumbered on, one arm draped over their feline companion. Just beyond the alcove they were nestled in, the desert winds continued to rage.

He stood, automatically heading towards his D-Wheel and reached for his tools. Going through the familiar motions successfully calmed him. He had been having nightmares featuring Zero Reverse with increasing frequency ever since his duel with Rudger and his subsequent plunge into Old Momentum. They had briefly abated after defeating the Dark Signers, but resurfaced with a vengeance upon encountering Ghost.

The past forty-eight hours had been trying, to say the least. Groggy and disoriented, he had woken up to the unpleasant sensation of being slowly baked alive beneath a thick layer of hot sand. After digging himself out and pawing at the surrounding mounds, he discovered his impromptu time-traveling companion in a similar state. He had made several unsuccessful and increasingly anxious attempts to rouse the other boy. In the end, he had been forced to hoist his unresponsive body over his broken motorcycle and painstakingly wheel them to safety.

Just three days ago, before Paradox and ruined futures, he had been surrounded with his team and his greatest worries had been winning the WRGP and coming up with a way to counter the synchro-killers. Yusei turned to face the stars but his blue eyes were unfocused, gazing at something beyond them, his insides clenching with an unfamiliar feeling of homesickness.

It was fortunate that he did. Had he not looked up at that precise moment, he would have been too slow to react, diving to the side just in time to avoid being torn in half by vicious, bird-faced monster. Had he never met Izayoi Aki and never knew of the fearful power to materialize duel spirits, Yusei would have frozen to the spot, realizing too late that what had dived at him was not solid vision. The bedrock beneath his feet had been shredded like Styrofoam.

The horned creature screeched in fury when its prey evaded its grasp. With an agitated flap of its massive wings, it barrelled into the sky for extra momentum and doubled back, readying wickedly sharp talons.

"Yusei, duck!"

Without a second thought, Yusei hit the ground just as a blast of electricity shot over him, catching the monster midflight. The feathered body convulsed and fell backwards, momentarily stunned. Yusei chanced a glimpse over his shoulder and saw Judai with his duel disk out, his eyes glowing amber. Hovering above him was a golden armoured hero, preparing another crackling attack.

The monster recovered midflight, shaking off the remainder of the static. With another unpleasant screech, it bore down upon them once again. The elemental hero leapt forward to intercept it, balling up his fists to knock aside the monster's talons. They were evenly matched.

That is, until the winged beast miscalculated and the hero ducked swipe which then left the creature wide open. Sparkman roared in triumph and aimed a sparkling fist at the overgrown fowl's unprotected flank but faltered without warning. Yusei watched with trepidation as the hero's image flickered once, and twice, before shattering into small fragments of light. At the same time, he heard a thud and turned just in time to see Judai's legs give out as he slumped to the ground, ashen.

"Judai-san!" he exclaimed. He ran to him, noting the brown-haired duellist's pallor and the faint tremor in his hands even as he stubbornly reached for another card.

"Hah… hah… Sorry, Yusei… I think… I'm a bit more tired than I thought," Judai apologized between gasps, clutching at one of Yusei's shoulders to steady himself.

The bird-faced creature shrieked triumphantly and unfurled its massive wings, and _flapped_, releasing a storm of feathered knives. Heedless of his companion's horrified protest, Yusei immediately positioned himself in front of the projectiles, shielding the Slifer duelist using own his body. Just as the arrows were about to hit, Yusei felt a sharp pain in his right arm as his Signer mark lit up in a dull glow and a faint red barrier encased them, causing the feathers to deflect off harmlessly.

Attack foiled, the creature shrieked in outrage, flying into a frenzy. It dived at them, ramming at the barrier repeatedly, clawing and drilling at it again, and again. Yusei cried out, flinching at each barrage as his mark pulsed in agony. Judai yelled at him to hold on while desperately trying to draw enough strength to summon again. Hairline fractures appeared at each point of impact until the shield could take no more and finally fell to pieces around them.

Judai and Yusei knelt on the ground, practically collapsed against the other, utterly spent and sapped of energy as the creature readied a final charge.

They were interrupted by slow, mocking clapping. The monster froze; its razor like claws had stopped an inch from Yusei's glaring eyes. A man stepped into view. He was tall, bronze-skinned, and muscular, wearing little save for a loose, open robe and what looked like a linen skirt wrapped around his waist. His hair was dark and long and fell in tangled braids down his back. The creature bowed its cruel-beaked head and swiftly retreated to hover over his broad shoulders. Its master's face split into a wide, white-toothed smile.

"Oh, well done! That was truly a splendid effort," he applauded them, absolutely delighted. "Most unlucky travellers would have had their guts decorating the sand within the first five seconds."

"Why are you attacking us?" Yusei demanded, struggling to his feet, careful to keep the slightly smaller boy shielded. He needed to buy time. At the moment, the recovering Judai was their best chance.

The man shrugged elaborately. "Why not? Judging from your coloring and attire, you two are obviously foreigners, and foreigners are always a good mark. Besides," he leered, "how could I resist after seeing your cute, sleeping faces? We just couldn't hold back." At his words, they were joined by roughly twenty men brandishing clubs and spears ominously, all similarly attired and sporting identical grins.

Judai spoke up suddenly, narrowing his eyes. "You're not a duelist. How are you controlling that monster?"

The man tsk'd, waving a finger in his direction. "Don't act like you're surprised. Didn't you just summon your own pathetic little _Ka_?"

_Ka_? The word echoed strangely through Judai's head, filtering through memories of napping on long white tables and the repetitive droning of a loud, nasal voice. Where had he heard that term before? He eyed the men critically, taking in their thick gold bands and noticed that the braided man's circlet had been inscribed with a familiar eye.

"Judai-san…" Yusei warned in a low voice, having followed a similar line of thought to its unpleasant conclusion.

"Aa," Judai replied. "I know."

They stood there, back to back, surrounded by heavily armed bandits, exhausted, and more than three thousand years out of time.

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Time of the Pharaohs **

**END**


	2. The Village of Thieves

**Bonds Across Time **

**Summary**: Paradox's grand experiment was not without consequences. (Alternatively: Yusei and Judai's misadventures on a time traveling motorcycle.) Pre-slash. Slowly progressing Starshipping.

* * *

**Chapter 2**

* * *

In the end, they hadn't been able to put up much of a fight.

The bandits converged upon them, brandishing staves and maces. Having exhausted their powers, Judai and Yusei had no choice but to resort to outright brawling. But with the current odds of the two of them against twenty something bandits, they knew they were only delaying away the inevitable.

Yusei fought viciously with elbows and knees, targeting unprotected organs and joints. He managed to take out several men this way; diving down to avoid an overhead swing and lashing out with a booted foot at his assailant's kneecaps. The brigand dropped like a stone but another soon took his place. Yusei was a decent scrapper, but he was no Jack Atlas. His slighter build also worked against him and he was tiring quickly.

Rarely having to resort to physical violence before, Judai was at a disadvantage. He dodged and weaved through the crowd of attackers the best he could, relying on his agility. However, coupled with his relative inexperience and the fact he had only effectively woken from a two-day coma, it wasn't long before he had the wind knocked out of him by a blow to his back.

Yusei's lapse in concentration upon hearing Judai's pained cry cost him and he was clubbed in the side, sending him sprawling to the ground. As the two duellists were dragged to kneel next to each other, they noted with grim satisfaction that the bandits did not walk away unscathed either, and that several of them sported split lips and oddly angled limbs.

Judai let out a low whistle as he surveyed the damage, heedless of his captor's tightening grip on his arms. "Nice kick," he complimented. "Where did you pick up moves like that?"

"I…" Yusei cast about for the right words, "…grew up in a rough neighbourhood."

A warning growl from one of the henchmen followed by a pointed gesture with his cudgel discouraged further conversation. Judai and Yusei then had their wrists bound tightly in front of them with thick hemp rope with a length connecting their wrists together, limiting their mobility and forcing them to awkwardly walk out of the alcove and towards where the rest of the bandit's crew was waiting. The other end of the leash was clenched in the hands of a smirking, rat-faced bandit who was about the size of a small bear. The heavy-set man gave the rope a malicious tug, causing them stumble into each other.

Meanwhile, the rest of the bandits carelessly rifled through their bags, emptying them on the ground, grumbling in disappointment when they didn't find anything more valuable than several canisters of water and a box of strange metal bits. Upon discovering the D-Wheel, however, the bandits exclaimed over it, having never seen anything akin to the sleek machine. Their leader casually oversaw them, watching with an assessing gray gaze and noting with satisfaction Yusei's growing fury at having his possessions pawed at and manhandled.

"We'll take the metal thing too," he said, gesturing for them to hitch it up to one of the awaiting horses. "Could be useful for scrap."

The boys could only helplessly watch as the bandits crammed the rest of their meagre belongings into thick burlap sacks, wincing when one of them gave Judai's laptop an unimpressed once-over before tossing it into the sand. Judai began to fret; Pharaoh had disappeared sometime during the chaos, and he really rather hoped that he would have the sense to somehow follow them. Judai didn't fancy losing him and eventually having to hunt down the feline carrying Daitokuji-sensei's soul in the middle of an ancient desert. He figured that, in this particular timeline, running around calling for 'Pharaoh' would more than likely get him arrested.

Once the bandits had secured their loot, the one who appeared to be the boss of the operation sauntered over to examine their most interesting find of the night.

"How curious," he said, flicking his long braids off his shoulder, "for you to have wandered so far out in the desert with such inadequate supplies."

Had Judai been his sixteen year old self, he would have likely been tempted to challenge the bandits head on without a thought to the consequences and subsequently endangering them both. But if he had learned anything during his adventures, it would be patience. He could feel his powers resting dormant beneath his skin, just out of reach. He signalled the Yusei with a faint tug of their bound hands and shared a furtive glance. Yusei noticed that Judai's brown eyes had slowly begun to sporadically flicker with gold and gave the other boy a barely perceptible nod.

Yusei took a step forward, drawing the group's attention to himself. "What do you plan on doing with us?" he demanded.

The leader crossed his arms over his broad chest and raised an eyebrow. His strong jaw and sharp eyes could have been considered attractive if not for the coldness in his features and the mocking uplift of his lips. "What makes you think I want anything from you?" he asked, insincerely. "And really, don't you have anything more original to say? I can't tell you how many times I've already been asked that question this week."

Yusei intensified his glare, drilling holes into his antagonist's countenance. "If you don't want anything, then let us go."

The bandit looked away, put out. "Hmph, you're no fun at all." He turned and headed back towards his horse, waving negligently. "Pack them up, boys."

The man holding their leash yanked at them roughly, grinning down at them from a mouth of broken teeth. "You heard the boss man. Hope you boys can keep up. You'll be fetching us a pretty price, whe'er we bring you to _them_ in one piece or not!" Before the duellists could brace themselves, he snapped at his reigns and the horse set off, forcing them into a run, or risk being dragged through the rocks.

Hours later, as the first fingers of dawn crept over the horizon, faint outlines became visible in the distance, standing out like a dark blotch against the sand. As they drew closer, they realized it was a sizable village, protected by high stone walls.

As the party approached, a horn blew, followed by an excited clamour as the thick metal gate slowly open by efforts of six strongmen. After passing through, one by one, the bandits dismounted and were boisterously greeted by a throng of men and women.

Judai and Yusei were led away from the welcoming committee, bypassing what appeared to be the village square down an ill-travelled road. Eventually, they were taken to an underground chamber and were unceremoniously shoved into a barred cell where the two duellists collapsed, panting harshly, having been made to cover most of the distance on foot. More than once during the long journey, they had cast almost longing glances toward the back of the procession where Yusei's D-Wheel was being towed along.

As they caught their breath, three burly men entered the cell. Two held them down while the third cut away their bindings as they were repositioned until they sat facing away from each other. Their arms were then shackled together behind their backs, leaving them in the darkness and the men left them alone. Feeling the other's shoulder blades tense up against his own, Judai gave Yusei a calming nudge and felt the other boy gradually relax.

"You OK, Yusei?" he asked, his voice echoing strangely in the confined space.

"I've had worse," Yusei admitted, surreptitiously fiddling with the bonds.

"Same here, actually." It said a lot for their experiences that the words came out as casual fact. He exhaled loudly and arched backwards in an attempt to stretch out the kinks in his spine and his head ended up clunking companionably against Yusei's shoulder. "Ah, what a mess," he lamented, "Next time, I get to pick where we go on vacation, okay?"

"I was hoping there isn't going to be a next time," Yusei replied, somewhat wryly. "I feel like I've had enough excitement lately."

"Aw, hey, it's not all bad," Judai teased. "I mean, sure being attacked by ancient Egyptian thugs and deadly duel spirits isn't most people's idea of fun. But at least you've got me, right?"

That drew a light chuckle from the more serious duelist, to Yusei's own chagrin.

"Ah!" Judai exclaimed triumphantly. "That's the first time I've heard you laugh. It suits you!"

"You have a gift for putting things into perspective." Yusei felt a smile linger at his lips in spite of himself.

"Nah, you're just too serious, Yusei," Judai countered cheerily. "Even with Yugi back in his own time, between the two of us and Yubel when she wakes up, we're more than a match for these guys!"

Yusei shook his head in amazement and slowly closed his eyes, finally feeling himself relax for the first time in days. "I'm glad to have met you, Judai."

"I hope you won't have to change your mind about that," Judai said, "since you might have to put up with me for a while."

The trap door suddenly creaked open and one of the men returned, bearing a torch and a skin of water, cutting their conversation short. After stowing away the torch it its holder, he regarded their slumped forms with poorly concealed pity and raised the skin, first to Yusei's lips, tilting it back to allow the cool liquid to spill into his parched throat.

When it was Judai's turn, he deliberately widened his eyes until they watered and made himself look miserable, which wasn't difficult, given the tortured state of his limbs. He gave him his best sad kitten impression (shamelessly stolen from Pharaoh). Paired with his dishevelled fluffy brown hair, Judai knew he looked years younger, a fact that he proceeded to exploit ruthlessly.

The man averted his eyes and withdrew the skin, shifting his weight. He, like the boss bandit, was tall and well-built and sported a shaved head with a set of markings running down the edge of his tanned face.

"Look," he murmured in low, guarded tones, "I feel sorry for you, but I can't do you any favours. I shouldn't even be talking to you."

"Why did you bring us here?" Judai asked in a small voice.

"We're not good guys. This is what we do." He sighed, scratching at his scalp. "Usually we go for fat merchants or nobles stupid enough to take this route. Not starving kids. We get a much better haul, for one thing. It's just bad luck that you met us. What did you kids think would happen, playing around in the middle of a warzone?"

"A warzone?" echoed Yusei. "This place is at war?"

"Seriously? What rock did you crawl out from? We've been fighting off the invading armies for years, and losing too!"

"We…" Yusei cast about for an excuse, but studying the history of ancient Egypt never really made it to the top of his list of priorities.

Judai chimed in. "We're from the south."

"Southerners? Huh," the man leaned back and snorted disparagingly. "No wonder you don't know anything. Savages, the lot of them."

"Yup, that's us," Judai replied vaguely, rearranging his features into a slightly more vacuous expression.

The man shook his head in disbelief. "Huh. Well, that won't matter anyhow. You kids will probably be stuck right in the middle if it anyway."

"What do you mean?" asked Yusei warily.

"Recently, some people have been asking about and rounding up people with strong _heka _and they've been dishing out some nice dough for it. My guess is they're looking for magicians for the war effort, or at least for more cannon fodder to throw at the enemies."

Yusei and Judai both bristled at the casual mention of slavery but forced it down. They were, after all, in another time and there wasn't much they could do to change it. For now, they needed the information.

"I see you've been making friends, Kasiya." A sharp voice suddenly cut into the conversation unexpectedly and the three males started and turned to the entrance. Standing over them with his arms crossed over his chest was the boss of the bandits. Kasiya flushed and ducked his head like a chastised child.

"Sorry, boss," he mumbled, dusting his tunic off as he got to his feet.

The boss waved away the apologies. "No worries. Go help the others unload. I'm just going to chat with our young friends here for a bit." The bald man bowed hurriedly and exited, closing the hatch with a sharp clink.

The braided man reclined leisurely against a raised metal platform, unperturbed at the brown-crusted shackles dangling from its sides, expression made indecipherable from the flickering shadows cast by the flames.

"So," he began conversationally. "Where are you kids really from?"

"We told you," Judai began but was cut off.

"Now, now. You're going to have to try harder than that." He leaned in, this time with an undercurrent of menace. "I'm afraid I've gotten quite interested in you two."

"Too bad we can't say the same," Yusei retorted. "Get to the point."

The man let out a long-suffering sigh, raking a hand through his dreads. "Oh very well. As you've heard from my loose-lipped minion, recently I've been turning quite a profit from pawning off a few _heka_ users. Just a couple weaklings here and there, not anyone people would miss."

If the two weren't furious before, they certainly were now.

"We're not your playthings!" Yusei growled, straining against his cuffs. "You can't just buy and sell human lives like objects!"

"You'll find that I can. But besides that, let's talk about you two. Judging by that little fight you put up earlier, you use your _heka_ a bit too well not to have been trained. Most people don't even know about the existence of their _Ka_, let alone manifest one and try to fight off my Birdface," he paused, "emphasis on _try._ Nice try though. Too bad you're still too weak, running out of _Ba_ after just one summon."

Judai made an indignant noise, but kept quiet, not wanted to give away the game. Instead, the two boys glared at him sullenly, waiting for him to stop rambling.

"Where are you going with this?" asked Yusei. With their arms behind him and out of the man's line of sight, he deftly reached into the sleeve of his jacket, feeling around. He was rewarded when something long and thin dropped into his hand. When Judai felt it pressed against his palm, he deliberately angled his body towards the bandit, more effectively hiding his partner's movements.

"I was just thinking about how my reputation would suffer if I turned up with defective merchandise." He pushed off the platform, stretching languidly as he walked towards them. Behind him, a shadow materialized at the edge of his shoulder, talons gleaming. A wicked grin broke across his face.

"Which is exactly why I'll be taking you boys for a test drive."

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Village of Thieves**

* * *

Beta'd by the lovely tumblr user mintleaftea.


	3. The Ka Hunt

**Bonds Across Time **

**Summary**: Paradox's grand experiment was not without consequences. (Alternatively: Yusei and Judai's misadventures on a time traveling motorcycle.) Pre-slash. Slowly progressing Starshipping.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Within the shadowy chamber, the only source of light was a lone torch flickering in a holder by the entrance. Circling the dungeon was a series of small, cramped cells, currently empty apart from the two weary duellists. The cold air was stagnant and reeked of stale copper and rot. Hanging limply from the dungeon walls were rows of shackles, rusted where the metal had bit too deeply into human skin. In the center of the room where the man lounged, was a smooth slab of stone slanted at an angle that afforded anyone unlucky enough to be viewing it from the cells a clear view of a body that might have been unfortunate enough to be strapped to it.

"I do apologize for the dreary accommodations," said the man, twisting his features with exaggerated concern. "Had I known you two boys would be joining us, I would have prepared something a bit more… exciting." He then smiled like a snake, thin and sharp with dark intent. Beside him, the winged beast spirit stirred restlessly, latching on to the two boys with its baleful stare.

Judai and Yusei involuntarily flinched back when the monster suddenly lunged towards them, crashing angrily against the metal bars. It cawed tauntingly at its captive audience, talons reaching greedily through the gaps. Luckily for them, the creature's size which had made it absolutely lethal in the desert now hindered it inside the low-ceilinged dungeon. Too large to properly fit through the gaps of the cell, the creature scraped ineffectually at the air in front of the two boys' tense faces. But then, accompanied by a groan, the aged metal began to buckle and bend under the force of the massive creature's scrabbling efforts.

With a crack, the bars splintered in a scatter of metal and stone which had Yusei and Judai hastily ducking their heads to avoid the shrapnel. When the debris settled, the two only had a second to react before the monster sprung at them.

"Now, Yusei!" Judai shouted. With a final wrench, the manacles binding them together came apart from Yusei's ministrations and the two threw themselves in opposite directions as the monster grasped at empty air.

Broken shackles in hand, Yusei rolled to his feet and flung them towards the dungeon's entrance, knocking the torch free of its holder and plunging the chamber into darkness. The avian monster let out a cry and struck out wildly. Taking advantage of its confusion, Judai and Yusei pried themselves from the crumbling cell and darted out, hoping to catch the bandit leader off guard.

"Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Judai shouted, pulling the card free and forcing the summon through, in spite of his depleted reserves. A glowing white circle materialized before him and the gold clad warrior surged forward with electricity crackling at his fingertips, this time aiming directly at the their abductor.

Momentarily startled, the bandit looked up just in time to see the crackling fist speeding towards his widened eyes.

Then he smirked. He threw his head back with his arms spread wide and chanted.

"_Protective Seal: Swords of Light!_"

A wall of swirling energy stopped the hero's attack short, before exploding outwards into shards of white light. Judai and Yusei gasped in shock and pain as the shards stabbed into their limbs, throwing them back against the dungeon walls, pinning the two of them like butterflies in an exhibit. Sparkman snarled at his master's plight but the spell and also caught him unprepared and rendered him powerless.

Upon realizing its prey was concerned, the overgrown bird squawked with savage delight, its golden eyes scanning the dungeon before alighting on the paralyzed Slifer Red duelist. The monster shot forward with its beak stretched wide.

"Judai!" Yusei screamed, straining against the spell.

"Stop." The man spoke up and the monster instantly stilled, inches away from tearing into the brunette. "Let's not get too carried away."

Almost reluctantly, the creature peeled itself away from its intended victim, but not without darting forward with a last snap of its beak which had Judai hurriedly retracting a booted foot. With an affronted flap of its wings, the creature faded out of existence and re-materialized behind its owner once again. The braided man stretched his arm out and clicked his fingers. To Judai and Yusei's surprise, the monster's image rippled. Feathers and claws peeled away like water draining from a sink, leaving it its place a blue-robed entity clutching at a mirror in front of its face.

"Now, allow me to formally introduce myself," the bandit said with a deep, sweeping bow. "I am Khaldun, the Illusionist. This lovely versatile creature here is my familiar, Copycat. Copycat has the ability to copy and match the appearance and abilities of any person or _Ka_ it battles. Although it seems that he likes to copy their bad habits as well."

…_the abilities of any monster it battles… _Judai's eyes widened. _But that means…!_

A smug grin split the bandit's face as he let the implications sink in. "And I have the perfect guinea pig. Copycat,_ Master of Disguise!_" The creature chittered and Judai saw its mirror tilt towards his restrained warrior and flash gold. The monster began to glow and warp, limbs stretching. Blue and gold rippled out of its skin and encased its body like a cocoon. From the sphere sprouted arms, legs and a mask, forming a horribly familiar silhouette.

"That's…" Yusei gasped as the new figure emerged.

"…Elemental Hero Sparkman!" Judai finished with a growl. "Just what are you planning?!"

"Do you know what fuels your _Ka_?" The bandit purred, circling around them like a cobra coiling around its prey. "Pain. Desperation. Fear. From my experience, these are excellent motivators to coax just a little more _juice_ out of my toys. Let's see how well this works on you."

"_Spark flash!" _

The imitation monster punched out, slamming its cracking fists into the air. With no way to evade, the two cried out in alarm and pain as they were hit by the full brunt of the monster's attack. With Judai's concentration broken, the real Sparkman disappeared with a howl. As the sparks died down, Yusei and Judai collapsed, held up only by the swords of light stabbed through their bodies, panting and staring down the wrong end of the fake hero's gauntlets.

The man inspected their crumpled forms and shook his head in distain. "Done already? I was just getting started."

Judai lifted his head with effort. "Is that the best you can do? The real Sparkman isn't this pathetic!"

"Judai_…_"From across the dungeon, Yusei tried to catch his friend's attention, blue eyes dark with worry._ Don't provoke him. You can see it in his eyes. This man… is merciless!_

"Still mouthy, are you?" The man tapped his chin in thought. "Hmm… What was it that you called your _Ka_? Ah yes, Elemental _Hero _Sparkman, was it? It seems to me that you have a bit of a saving people thing. Then maybe _this_ will be a better source motivation?" He thrust out a hand, palm facing toward the brown-haired boy and chanted.

"_Chain Energy!" _

A ball of white energy swirled into existence and shot like a javelin towards the Slifer Red duelist, before abruptly veering away. To Judai's horror, the searing hot energy twisted around Yusei's limbs and dragged him into the air with bruising force, leaving angry red welts where it touched his bare skin and burned through the fabric of his coat. The D-Wheeler hung limply, strung up like a rag doll with his wrists bound painfully above his head.

The bandit's leer took on a much more grotesque appearance. "That's a good look for you."

Yusei gasped as the chains suddenly crackled and a torrent of agony ripped through his body. Dimly, as his senses slowly crawled back, he became aware of a metallic wetness in his mouth where he had bitten through his lower lip in an effort to hold back a cry.

"Yusei! _Yusei_!" Judai lashed out wildly against his bindings, eyes now glowing in an animalistic fury. The swords pinning him exploded forth, fragments of light splintering into nothingness before they could even hit the ground. Judai wobbled unsteadily for a moment before he recovered his footing as he fixed the bandit with a piercing yellow glare. "Let him go!"

Khaldun whistled, delighted at the boy's anger. "It looks like I've finally pressed the right button."

"Let. Him. Go."

"Why don't we play a little game instead? If you win, I'll let you and your pretty little boyfriend go. But if you lose, the two of you will have to play nice with me until you die."

"Judai… don't…" Yusei forced out amid pained gasps.

Judai refused to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry… this is my fault."

"Copycat!" At his master's command, his _Ka_, still wrapped in its false blue and gold skin, bowed lowly and vanished. Moments later, it reappeared carrying a large wooden barrel. The monster set it down gingerly and lifted the lid to reveal a twisted black mass of coiling snakes.

Judai glared at the bandit. "What is this?"

"This? This is the game," Khaldun drawled. He held up a hand with three gold pieces wedged between each of his fingers. With a casual flick, he sent them clattering into the darkness of the barrel. "There are twenty snakes inside this container. Most of them are harmless, but one of them possesses a bite that can kill a grown man in thirty seconds. The two of us will take turns reaching inside without looking until all the coins have been retrieved. The one who can collect the most coins will win. Simple, isn't it?"

"And if we happen to get bitten by your death snake?" Judai demanded. "What then?"

"Well that would be an automatic loss. But rest assured, should you _unfortunately_ die, I will take good care of your friend here."

"And what if _you_ die instead?"

Khaldun grinned unpleasantly. "Then of course, you are free to go."

Judai let out a cynical snort. "I don't see your lackeys being very happy about that," he retorted.

"I see that you doubt me," replied Khaldun with feigned distress. "Very well then. As a gesture of goodwill, I'll let you have the first two turns!"

"What?" Judai asked, taken aback. "Why would you do that?"

The man clicked his tongue impatiently. "You do realize that the more you stall, the longer _he_ gets to suffer?"

Sneaking a quick look at Yusei's battered and half-conscious form, Judai gnashed his teeth together. "Fine! I'll accept your terms!"

Khaldun cackled. "That's what I like to hear!"

"_Game, start!"_

Judai approached the barrel in trepidation. As he neared, the snakes reared back, hissing in warning. The brunette shut his eyes tightly and reached in, grimly. Several seconds passed in silence as Judai rummaged around, perspiration dotting his temples. Then, he withdrew his arm with a gasp and something gold glinted from his tightly clenched fingers.

"Oh my. Now that's something," the man commented softly from where he reclined, delicately propping his chin upon laced fingers. "I didn't expect you to get one quite so quickly."

Judai squeezed his fist around his prize, shooting another worried glance at his friend. "One more… one more and you'll let us go, right?"

"Of course. You have my word," Khaldun reassured.

Judai took a deep, steadying breath. The snakes, now stirred into a frenzied wakefulness by his proximity, began to writhe and snap at the air in anticipation. Squeezing his eyes shut once again, Judai took the plunge. He let out a pained yelp, snatching his arm back from the barrel and clutching tightly at his wrist with his other hand. "D-Dammit…"

"I may have neglected to mention this," the bandit admitted, smirking at Judai's swaying form, "while the rest of the snakes are not deadly, Ì never said they weren`t poisonous."

Raising his weary head, Yusei snarled in outrage. "You… that's why you purposely forced him to go first!"

"I didn't force the poor boy into anything. He was just so _eager_ to save you he practically just jumped right in!"

"You…!"

Any further baiting from the bandit leader was cut short when Judai began to chuckle. Khaldun turned his attention back on the boy in the red jacket who was now doubled over in mirth.

"Judai…?" ventured Yusei hesitantly.

"Sorry for the scare, Yusei," Judai said apologetically, shooting the other boy a sheepish smile. He then turned to address the bandit, smile stretching into something wide and cheeky. "It didn't take a genius to see that you were setting me up from the start. So I purposely pretended to get bitten to see how you would react."

"Oh, how cute," said the bandit derisively. "Then how did you manage to get your first coin?"

"Who says I did?"

"What? Then what was…"

"What, this?" asked Judai. He held up his fist and unfurled his fingers, revealing a small object which was rounded and golden, but was definitely not a coin. "This is just a bottle cap!" he announced, flicking it up in the air and catching it one-handed. "You said we had to take turns reaching in… but you never said we actually had to _try_ to grab one."

At the other duellist's audacity, Yusei shook with suppressed laughter than he suspected if vocalized would have more resembled giggles.

"You little bastard," the man exclaimed, almost wonderingly.

"Now," said Judai, steeling his expression. "It's your turn. Will you get a coin, or will the snakes get you first?"

A tick developed in the corner of Khaldun's eye and his smile grew sickly. He began to applaud with a slow, sarcastic clap that echoed hollow within the stone walls. "You've really got some nerve," he said.

Judai jabbed an impatient thumb in the direction of the barrel. "Now who's stalling? Hurry up!"

The man pushed off from the platform, his expression shaded by his thick mass of braids, his shoulders beginning to shake. Judai tensed and readied himself for retaliation but then realized something, to his surprise.

Khaldun was chuckling. "Oh, I _like_ you! I'm starting to think I might have been too hasty writing you two off as mere fodder."

"That doesn't make me happy at all," Judai hissed, still on guard.

"It's been a long time since anyone has dared to try something like that against me. I think you deserve to be rewarded." The man clicked his fingers. With a crack like a rubber band snapping, the spell holding Yusei captive disintegrated and the black haired boy hit the ground with a low groan. Judai immediately ran over, gingerly placing his hands on his companion's shoulders.

"Yusei, are you alright?" he demanded, looking rather panicky, quickly giving his wounds a once over. Luckily, his injuries appeared mostly superficial.

Yusei smiled to show that he was fine, though it came out a bit shaky. "I'm fine, Judai. Thanks to you."

Judai shook his head in denial. "It's my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut."

"Don't blame yourself," Yusei admonished gently as he struggled to his feet with the other boy's help. "He would have used anything as an excuse to torment us."

"If you two are finished _flirting_," the bandit remarked dryly, inspecting his nails, "I'd like to move on."

"What? Not going to take your turn after all?" Yusei asked sardonically, indicating the hissing container.

Khaldun sniffed, waving a dismissive hand. "I've grown rather bored of it. Especially with a certain little someone cheating."

"You bastard!" Judai spat. "If anyone was cheating, it was you!"

"Well of course I was. You didn't think I liked _losing_, did you?"

"Boss!"

The trap door suddenly swung open and four new bandits emerged, inching down the steps with a pinched looks on their faces.

"What is it now?" demanded the leader, facing the newcomers with a raised brow. The fake Sparkman seemed in share in its master's sentiments and aimed its gauntlets threateningly in their direction.

"The buyer is here, sir," one of the men reported, fiddling with the hem of his sleeve. "He said he wants to speak to you."

"Oh?" asked Khaldun with an arched brow. "What is he doing here? We sent the last batch just two days ago."

"I don't know, boss. But he's brought a buncha men with him."

He huffed impatiently. "Fine, I'll go see what they want. Get these two back in their cell. And this time, tie them up with something they can't break out of."

"Yes, sir!" The men belted out an affirmative and marched over to the two duellists, roughly dragging them apart.

"Sorry boys, looks like we'll have to cut our game short," Khaldun said, reaching out to give Yusei's cheek a condescending pat. Yusei growled in response and shrugged his hand off roughly. Undaunted, Khaldun smirked at him lazily. "I'll be right back," he promised them sweetly. "You boys just sit tight. Don't get too comfortable."

"Bite me," said Judai, flashing the most insolent sneer he could muster.

"Oh, I plan to. But first, Daddy has to see about our uninvited guest." He brushed off his tunic disdainfully and turned towards the exit as the Sparkman copy wisped into smoke. The man's footsteps echoed hollowly around the small chamber as they disappeared up the steps. With a shrill creak, the metal grated shut, leaving the boys trapped inside with their new wardens.

* * *

Trailing behind two of his other followers, Khaldun marched into the village square where a small contingent of robed men awaited him. The other villagers tentatively gathered around them with hushed whispers.

"What can I do you for, gentlemen?" the bandit boss addressed them with a hint of impatience, placing a hand on a cocked hip. "Not satisfied with your last purchase?"

"Oh, no," replied one of the men, stepping forward. He was tall and sported a thin, reedy looking goatee. "It is always a pleasure to do business with you."

"Then what brings you here?" he asked petulantly. "How very rude of you not to send a messenger ahead."

"I have some unfortunate news to deliver, thus I have come in person," said his uninvited guest with an exaggerated frown.

"What news?" Khaldun demanded, suddenly alert.

"You have served us well thus far... But Lord Akhenaden has no further need for your services."

* * *

**Chapter 3: The **_**Ka**_** Hunt**

**END**

* * *

**(A/N: **A GIANT THANK YOU TO MINTLEAFTEA, RKAMISHIRO, AND NUVOLADITEMPISTA FOR BETA-READING)


	4. The Uninvited Guests

**Bonds Across Time**

**Summary**: Paradox's grand experiment was not without consequences. (Alternatively: Yusei and Judai's misadventures on a time traveling motorcycle.) Pre-slash. Slowly progressing Starshipping.

* * *

**Chapter 4**

* * *

The air buzzed with tension as the villagers traded uneasy looks amongst themselves.

"_Lord Akhenaden?" _

"_What is going on?" _

"_What does someone that important have to do with us?"_

Khaldun held up a hand, quelling the frantic whispering. "Akhenaden has no need for my services?" he repeated softly, menace etched into every crevice of his face. "What are you talking about now? I've kept my end of the bargain; I give you what you want and you stay far, _far_ away from my village."

"That was the plan, yes," the man replied. "But recent developments have led us to conclude that you and your beloved little village can serve us in… different ways."

"Well, that's just too bad." Khaldun waved a dismissive hand and turned his back on the robed men. "I don't have anything to do with Akhenaden anymore. Men, show our guests out." The bandits stepped forward with their weapons gripped tightly.

"Ah, ah, ah," the man lifted his hands in a helpless shrug, shaking his head with disappointment. "It was your continued cooperation that allowed us to overlook many things, Khaldun. Including your little… treason. I'm afraid we can no longer afford to be quite so generous."

"Hmph," scoffed Khaldun, spinning back around at the not so subtle threat. "You're talking big. But you forget, you were never a match for me, Atenza."

The robed man's thin bloodless lips drew back into a sour smile. "That's where you're wrong, Khaldun. Through the powers of darkness, I have obtained a power beyond imagination!" The previously still figures behind him suddenly sprang into life and arranged themselves around their leader in a protective formation.

"What are you blabbering about?" Khaldun demanded. Beside him, his _Ka_ materialized, still wearing its stolen armoured form and raised sparking gauntlets in anticipation. Without any of them noticing, a dark shroud had begun to settle over the village square, sending an icy chill which crept into their bones.

The man named Atenza laughed, a shrill, ugly sound. As he shrugged off his robes, the onlookers' eyes were helplessly drawn towards the center of his chest where a strange pronged pendant hung, inscribed with a sinister gold eye.

* * *

Yusei and Judai were being led to separate cells across the prison when the shrieks began to rip through the air, startling the bandits into inaction.

For several seconds, no one dared to move, straining their ears to make out what was happening beyond the trapdoor.

"What is going on?" demanded one of the men who had been in the process of binding Judai's arms behind his back.

"I'm going to go see," another declared as he began to head up the steps to investigate but stumbled when something exploded against the stone above them.

Then a second impact, stronger than the first sent all of them tripping over the feet trying to avoid a shower of debris. As one, Yusei, Judai and the bandits looked up in alarm. Time seemed freeze as jagged lines began to etch themselves across the stone above them.

Then the ceiling caved in.

"Yusei!" Judai shouted. He shook off the stupefied bandit's hold and dived at the other boy, throwing the both of them out from beneath the path of the falling chunks of ceiling. There was a sound like bones crunching, and then a howl. Yusei and Judai turned their alarmed gazes back to see that one of the men who had been standing off to the side had not been as lucky; white-faced and moaning, he strained uselessly against a piece of debris which laid on top of his ruined leg.

The boys could hear the other men yelp and curse as they tried to avoid sharing their comrade's crushing fate. Two of them ran for the exit, screaming, only to become red smears on the ground as an enormous green foot smashed right through where the trapdoor had been merely seconds before. The foot was followed by a grasping pair of equally enormous hands which reached inside the dungeon and plucked the remaining bandit into the air. The thing regarded him curiously with its single purple eye before swallowing him whole, muffling his screams.

For a moment, Judai and Yusei were frozen in place, staring wide-eyed at the man's vanishing legs before they hastily scrambled away as the Cyclops reached for another morsel. The monster's eye scanned the cell, first tracing the figure of the half-crushed man lying trapped under the debris before sweeping over to where the two duellists stood. Letting out an awful noise that might have been triumph, it extended a clawed four-fingered hand towards them.

Hastily, the two boys dodged its slow-moving grasp and, lacking a better alternative, ran for the other side of the dungeon which suddenly seemed much smaller than before when dwarfed by a twelve-meter flesh-eater.

Lacking the necessary fine motor skills, the creature growled in frustration and swiped wildly at its escaping quarry. It missed by a long shot but the swing generated a shock wave powerful enough to knock Judai and Yusei off their feet. Groaning, they pushed themselves onto their knees just as the giant's hand was about to close around them. Yusei was unable to hold back a flinch, forcibly reminded of being at the mercy of a different giant and the echoes of insane laughter. Beside him, the Slifer Red gritted his teeth, furiously debating his options when a voice only he could hear called out to him.

_Judai!_

Warm relief flooded through him, accompanied by a surge of renewed power as his other half finally woke from her slumber. "Yusei, stay behind me!" he shouted, leaping to his feet and running forward to meet their enemy. Yusei shouted his name in alarm and instinctively reached out to stop him, but pulled his gloved fingers back at the last moment, placing his faith in the other.

Judai reached for his duel disk, a broad grin stretched across his face when he felt it grow hot as if in answer, revealing the top card with a flourish. "It's about time," he said triumphantly, dual-toned eyes glowing as he generously poured his rejuvenated energy into materializing the form of his spirit partner. "Yubel!"

In a swirl of vivid violet light, a terrifying demonic figure emerged, leathery wings wrapped around herself like a protective cocoon. Dichromatic eyes snapped open and the figure unfurled her limbs and turned to regard her partner, expression souring when she noticed the numerous scrapes and bruises across his visible skin.

"Judai," she chided, not unlike an angry parent, "I expressly told you to stay out of trouble!"

"Now's not the time, Yubel. You can scold me later! There's something just a little bit more important here." Judai said, holding up his hands placatingly.

"Oh, very well," Yubel replied, with a sigh born of long suffering as she turned disdainfully towards the cyclops.

Undeterred by the new arrival, the monster continued its attack and brought down its meaty fists. Yubel made no move to evade or defend and spread her arms in mocking invitation. To Yusei's surprise, the cyclops seemed to meet an invisible barrier and its attack ricocheted off, striking it in its own massive eye. The blue giant let out a howl and reared back, crushing the surrounding buildings beneath its clawed feet. After sharing a nod with Judai, Yubel flew after it, gathering a ball of dark energy between her palms and released it with a powerful jolt. The energy shot forward like a spear and pierced the monster straight through what remained of its eye and with one final shudder, the massive body fell, scattering into fading embers as it hit the ground.

After the dust settled, Judai let out a low whistle of appreciation. "Nice one, Yubel." He quickly glanced back to make sure that Yusei hadn't been harmed from the fallout of the attack and grinned in relief when the black-haired boy nodded at him, as serious as ever.

Yubel gently lowered herself until she hovered about a foot from the ground next to the two boys and fixed her partner with a stern gaze. "Judai, you should have been able to take care of this small fry with ease," she chided.

"Hey, who was the one who overslept?" Judai countered, even as a wide grin stretched across his face. "Man, I've never been so happy to see you."

"You should always be happy to see me," Yubel remarked absently and turned to eye the black-haired duelist who had kept a respectful distance during their reunion. "Yusei, was it?" she asked, just a bit too neutrally.

"Yes," Yusei replied, growing slightly wary at her tone. "Thank you for saving us."

Yubel hummed low under her breath and took stock of their immediate surroundings. The prison was now not much more than a pathetic smouldering hole; the roof was all but gone, first from the giant's violent entrance, then from the shockwaves generated by her attack. But from the scatter of broken shackles and a decaying scent that lingered in the air, it was more than obvious that the two boys had not been having a pleasant time.

"So. What have you gotten my Judai into this time?" she asked, coldly.

Judai made a strangled noise in his throat. "What are you talking about?" he demanded, immediately leaping to Yusei's defence. "If anything, I should be the one who's-"

Yusei placed a hand on his shoulder, stalling his protest. "Yubel," he addressed the spirit, returning her piercing gaze with clear blue eyes, "I will make no excuses; I was the one who put Judai in danger because I was too weak to face Paradox alone. It never even occurred to me to think about how we would get back. All I can promise you now is that I will do everything in my power to see you and Judai safely back in your own time."

"Yusei…" Judai blinked at his words, feeling his face grow oddly warm. He chuckled sheepishly and scratched at his reddened cheeks. "Ah, I'm not really used to being on the receiving end of something like that. And besides, I'd much rather be here with you if the alternative meant you'd have to face all this by yourself!"

"Hn," said Yubel after a considering pause. "Well, I suppose Judai has a knack for getting into messes well enough on his own. Even without you, I don't doubt he would have gotten all wrapped up in this anyway. And from the looks of it, you've done a decent job babysitting him. You have my thanks for that."

Judai sputtered indignantly, but this time for a completely different reason. "Wait, what? Babysitting?"

"Thank you, Yubel," Yusei replied solemnly, as if Judai hadn't spoken.

"Yeah, Yubel. Thanks for that vote of non-confidence," Judai grumbled at the pair. "It's not like we're still under attack or anything." With the walls down, the screaming from the village center was now all too clear. The sky was dyed grey with smoke and ash. It appeared that the remote location of the prison put them out of the epicenter of the attack but they could tell from the growing noise that danger was heading in their direction.

"Judai is right," Yubel said, switching to a business-like tone. "You need to decide on your next course of action."

"Right now, our priority is still to get out of here and figure out a way to get back to our original timelines," said Yusei.

Judai hummed in agreement, and tapped his chin. "And there's a good chance we'll need to get back the way we came so that definitely means we'll need Yusei's D-Wheel. But the problem is they could have stashed our stuff anywhere. How will we find it _and_ avoid being squashed by the monsters?"

Several feet away, as if on cue, the remaining survivor from the crew of bandits let out a moan, causing Judai and Yusei to jump, having completely forgotten about his presence. The two hurried over with Yubel drifting reluctantly after them.

"Are you alright?" asked Yusei, crouching down next to the whimpering man.

The bandit made a strangled noise in his throat as he stared blankly at the spot where his comrades had been standing. One of his legs was pinned to the ground by the rubble, and from the sheer amount of red seeping into the surrounding area, it was likely that the limb was beyond salvaging. Concerned, Yusei reached out, hoping to bring him out of his stupor, but he flinched away, dislodging his head-covering just enough for the two boys to realize that they knew him.

"Kasiya?!" Judai exclaimed. "Hey, hold on for a moment. We're going to get you outta there, okay?"

Whatever response the man would have given was drowned out by a deafening roar. Yusei and Judai looked through the ruined ceiling just in time to see the scaled underbelly of what appeared to be a huge blue dragon zip by overhead. After several seconds, the boys stopped holding their breaths when it seemed the monster was not about to head back in their direction.

"We can't stay here," concluded Judai.

Yusei nodded and looked out to the smoke rising from the village center, then back towards Kasiya's shell shocked form. "But it doesn't seem right to leave him here."

"What are you talking about?" Yubel took the opportunity to interject. "He's one of the men who tried to hurt my Judai. Leaving him here is more than he deserves."

"Sorry Yubel, but I'm with Yusei. He was nice to us, sort of. And besides…" Judai trailed off, remembering all too well what it was like to see your comrades die in front of you, one by one. Yubel let out a sigh and conceded defeat.

"...Fine. But I'm not happy with this," she cautioned as she began to fade from view. "He's going to slow us down and we can't afford that."

"We'll manage, somehow," Judai argued.

Together, Yusei and Judai dislodged the rubble and painstakingly pulled the injured man loose. Upon seeing the state of his mangled flesh, they flinched, realizing that it could have just as easily been one of them.

"How's he doing?" Judai asked, mostly hanging back and hovering over Yusei's shoulder as he didn't know the first thing about first aid.

"The bones in his leg were crushed," Yusei replied with furrowed brows as he did his best to tend to the man's limb, trying to stave off the blood loss. "But he doesn't seem to be in pain. Most likely from shock or nerve damage."

"But at least he's alive for now," replied Judai, wincing in sympathy.

It was only after Yusei bound the leg tightly in a makeshift splint with some torn cloth and a long piece of wood that the man seemed to register their presence at all.

"You kids…" he mumbled, eyes slowly refocusing. "...are you… helping me?"

"Try to stay calm," Yusei said plainly, after exchanging a concerned glance with the Judai.

"...what's the point? What the hell can we do against _monsters_?" The man mumbled, quietly at first but ended up as a scream. "We're all just going to die anyway!"

"We're not going to die at all!" growled Judai. "So don't give up from the beginning!"

"Kasiya," Yusei interjected levelly. "Do you know what's going on here? Why is the village under attack?"

The bald man howled. "How should I know?! I was too busy trying not to die!"

"When you came in, one of your comrades said something about a buyer. What did he mean?" Yusei pressed on.

Kasiya blinked slowly at the change in topic. "Those were the guys I was telling you about. The ones rounding up people with _heka_. ... You don't think...?"

"Guess this," said Judai, indicating the chaos around them, "is what happens when you go around making deals with shady people."

"Well, what do you want me to do about it now?" Kasiya scowled, wrinkling his dark skin. "Just... Leave me in a ditch somewhere."

"We're not exactly thrilled with your hospitality so far," said Yusei, somewhat dryly, "but at the very least, we don't want you to die if we can help it. Is there somewhere safe we can get you to?"

"_You _look around and tell _me _if it looks like there is anywhere safe! But..." Kasiya trailed off, eyes widening in realization, "there is a storage area that Master Khaldun warded using powerful spells against intruders!"

"That guy," said Judai, face darkening with a complicated mix of emotions. "He's something, isn't he?" Yusei shot him a calming look, wordlessly reminding him to focus.

"Yeah, he is!" replied Kasiya, immediately perking up, seemingly unable to pick up his meaning. "He used to be a high priest who served the Pharaoh!"

"The pharaoh?" Yusei echoed. "Then what is he doing here?" And terrifying the populace, he didn't add.

"No one knows why he left the palace, but this village is his hometown. He said something about how the higher ups were making decisions he didn't agree with."

"Probably didn't let him torture enough people or something," Judai muttered uncharitably, quiet enough that only Yusei could hear him, who couldn't help but be amused, all things considered.

"Alright," said Yusei. "We'll get you to this shelter."

The bandit gave them a slow, sideways glance. "Right now it is mostly being used to store our, er, loot. But... your stuff is probably there too."

Judai immediately brightened up. "That's great! It'll be two birds with one stone!"

But the man began to look even more nervous. "The only problem is…" Kasiya turned his head in the direction of the village center where smoke could be seen billowing up from ruined buildings. "It's kind of that way."

Their first order of business was to get out of ruined pit. Though the dungeon walls had not been particularly tall, climbing the loosened rubble while towing a man who was almost literally deadweight became rather challenging, almost enough to make them regret being such good Samaritans.

Eventually, after a bit of trial and error, they fastened a make-shift harness for the injured man and they used to boost him up, taking care not to exacerbate his wounded leg.

When they reached ground-level, the sight that greeted them was even less welcoming than the remnants of the bloodied prison. Thick gashes ran across the earth like it had been gored by claws. The surrounding stone buildings were strewn across the streets like toy blocks knocked over by a careless twelve foot tall child. Several bodies, souvenirs of the Cyclops's visit, lay half-buried beneath the rubble with discarded weapons just out of reach. From their garb, they had likely been more members of Khaldun's bandits. Yusei and Judai steadfastly averted their eyes, unable to meet the vacant, unseeing gazes.

Slinging Kasiya's arms over their shoulders, the two boys cautiously navigated the uneven ground, scanning the shadows for any sudden movements that could signal an enemy's approach. This became that much more difficult as cold fog slowly rolled into the streets, covering the horizon in a thick cloak of white. Despite this, the three managed to make their way through several blocks, utterly unhindered and without meeting a single soul, human or otherwise.

Somehow, the village had grown still without their notice. Unnaturally, unsettlingly so.

"It's too quiet," Judai hissed under his breath to his companions at last, unable to bear the silence. "We should have come across someone or _something _by now."

"Where the hell _is_ everyone?" Kasiya demanded. "Where did the monsters go?"

"Judai," Yusei said suddenly, bringing them to a stop. "I think I see something."

Ahead of them, dark, slow-moving shapes started to drift through the fog. Wordlessly, Judai and Yusei dragged themselves and their new ally off to the side and crouched down behind a partially collapsed wall, just out of sight. Waiting with bated breath, the three of them peered along the edges as the figures came into view.

What they saw gave them few answers but opened up dozens of horrible new questions.

The shadows revealed themselves to be the missing villagers that they had been speculating about.

But, they moved strangely, walking slowly and orderly through the streets, both young and old. There was none of the expected hysteria, no trace of urgency in their faces as they only gazed blankly at something in the distance, moving as one as if marching to a silent tune only they could hear.

When it looked like the villagers wouldn't be noticing them any time soon, Judai spoke up, sounding rather freaked. "Okay. Something is definitely wrong here."

"That doesn't even need saying!" Kasiya mumbled with a full-body shudder. "What have they done to them?!"

Yusei's eyes narrowed, scanning the crowd. "They're being controlled by someone," he said. "It looks like whoever is attacking the village wants to take prisoners and limit casualties to a minimum."

"And it's probably not out of the goodness of their hearts either," Judai lamented. "But if they're being controlled, someone must be pulling the strings."

As the words sunk in, Kasiya blanched. "You mean that we might end up like them? Ra damnit, I'm just a grunt, I can't deal with all this magic crap!"

"Whatever they are using likely doesn't work on everyone," Yusei replied, thoughtfully. "If the attacker is "the buyer", then very likely their primary objective is still to capture humans for whatever reason so it is in their interests not to kill everyone."

"So you're saying, but if they could do _this_, then why the monsters?" continued Judai.

"Exactly," replied Yusei. "Whoever is doing this probably has limits to how many people they can control. And they've summoned duel monsters to take care of whoever can fight back."

"Very clever, for a filthy commoner that is," a new voice cut in and Judai and Yusei leapt to their feet to face the speaker, alarm etched on their faces.

Standing behind them was a tall, thin man with his features mostly obscured by hooded robes. What little they could see of his face revealed a wrinkled chin and thin, bloodless lips permanently curled in disdain. From his extravagant robes, it was obvious that he was someone of import. But their attention was drawn to the staff clutched in his fist: made of solid gold embedded with a familiar glowing eye.

"That staff..." Yusei muttered under his breath, "It looks just like Yugi-san's pendant."

"Yeah," replied Judai, glaring through narrowed eyes. "That thing is a millennium item. Yugi-san dealt with them at Battle City. They have all sorts of powers, including the power to steal souls and control people's minds!"

"Ho?" The man's pursed lips suddenly drew back in an ugly snarl, having much sharper ears than Judai expected. "That is some knowledge you've got, boy. I would very much like to know how you got your filthy little hands on it. After all... these items have been created not even three days ago!"

Judai blinked, taken aback and traded slightly panicked looks with the taller boy. It looked like he had probably just broken one of the rudimental rules of time travel: not to draw unnecessary attention.

The man stalked towards them, long robes brushing the sand. "Either you are very poor spies, or we have overestimated our secret-keepers. But no matter, we shall pry it out of you all the same. Your earlier theory was only half correct; I merely find all the screaming and _resistance_ so distasteful. I much prefer you just... _Obey_." Without any warning, he raised his rod high into the air as the glowing symbol of the millennium items appeared on his forehead.

Judai and Yusei cringed as the eldritch light washed over them in blinding waves, as the brainwashed villagers looked on with dull, vacant gazes.

* * *

A/N: As usual, heaps of thanks to my beta-readers! If you have a moment, let me know what you think. (It motivates me to write faster.)


End file.
